Leave Out All The Rest
by fallen-like-an-angel
Summary: When Jason suddenly disappears from Batman's radar, Dick is determined to find him and bring him home safely. But with no help from anyone else, will he be strong enough to make the rogue Robin part of the family again, or will everything stay the same as it always has? [Pre-New 52]
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, all. This is a re-write of a piece that I posted on my old account, 'Midnight-Writer X'. The old fic' is still there, along with others that I may or may not re-write or continue. For those of you who know my old account and are following the stories there, then you should know that some pieces on there will not be continued as I can no longer access that account due to technical difficulties. If any of you strongly wish for me to continue some of those pieces on this account then PM me and I will gladly consider it.**

**Thanks if you took the time to read this. Now, on with the story…**

**Chapter One**

To say that he was worried would be an understatement. Richard 'Dick' Grayson was so anxious that he was considering burning Gotham to the ground and searching the rubble for his missing brother. From his perspective that seemed to be a more affective plan than simply searching Gotham high and low like he had been doing.

As Batman, and the self-appointed brother to five siblings, Dick felt it was his obligatory duty to keep a special eye on the members of the Bat-Family. He found it comforting to know where everyone was, what they were doing and if they were well or not. So when Jason Todd, second Robin to Bruce's Batman and current Red Hood, scourge of the underworld, disappeared off of his radar, a rising panic gripped at Dick's heart. Couple the mysterious disappearance with several rumours that the ominous Red Hood has become a 'whipping boy' for several of Black Mask's armed employees and Dick Grayson became hysterical with worry.

He had started a frantic search for the rogue Robin as soon as he'd lost contact. When he found nothing but dead ends and false leads he formulated a mission plan to find his lost brother. A mission plan that seemed to be a solo endeavour when it became apparent that no-one else was bothered by the unfortunate news.

Dick had voiced his concerns to his youngest siblings, asking them to help him in his search. To his astonishment, and disappointment, the constantly arguing brothers decided to place there fighting on a temporary truce and teamed-up against him.

"Good; I hope Todd never comes back."

"Yeah, Gotham will do a lot better without him painting every street corner with blood."

"I agree. He was a worthless enemy and now we can focus on our more important foes."

"I don't know why you're bothering to try and find him, Dick. He's probably out murdering people that have annoyed him. He'll come back once he's had his sick fun…hey, where are you going?"

Dick had stormed from the room screaming about family loyalty and trying to find someone who really cared. He soon contacted Oracle, knowing that she had had a soft spot for Jason when he was Robin. But even she had dismissed the notion as being a 'Jason-thing'.

"You know what he's like, Dick. He's always vanishing and reappearing when no-one wants him to. He'll be back in Gotham causing havoc in no time."

"Babs, can you please just search around for him? Is that too much to ask?"

"Okay, Hunk Wonder. I'll do it, just for you."

He had sighed a terse thank you and, several hours later, found himself confiding his worries to Alfred.

"I feel helpless, Alf'. All I can come up with are dead ends and no-one seems to be giving Jason's disappearance a second thought." The idea that no-one was giving Jason's disappearance a first thought crossed his mind when Alfred replied.

"Master Jason has proven that he can look after himself. He would not be best pleased if he discovers that he has gained a babysitter after a week away from Gotham."

Dick was alone in his search. He had no-one else to turn to. The Commissioner would arrest Jason as soon as they found him and it was likely that he would arrest Dick for being associated with him. The rest of the Bat-Family hardly knew Jason and saw him as an outsider; a warning to those who want to stray from the heroic path. And the League members were still holding grudges against him for various Red Hood activities that had led to the destruction of buildings within their cities. The majority of them wanted to lock him up in Arkham Asylum. Dick cringed as he remembered the heated conversation between Batman and the League when they had first discovered the Red Hood's true identity. They had pressured Batman and Nightwing into bringing Jason to justice once and for all. Look how well that had turned out.

Since beginning his search Dick had looked through hundreds of security videos, reviewing Jason's whereabouts and retracing his steps over the past few weeks. He made sure to always keep and eye out while on patrol for anything that could give him a clue as to what had happened to his brother. So far he had come up with nothing.

On the fourth night of his search, just before he was due to go on patrol, the Batcave's alert system was activated and Oracle's green avatar appeared on the main computer screen.

"Can you make it quick, Babs?" Dick asked as he pulled on the top half of the Batsuit. "I'm about to go on patrol."

"A hello wouldn't go amiss, Former Boy Wonder. Or don't you want the information I found that may help you in locating where Jason is?"

Dick's head snapped up so fast that his neck clicked. "What did you find?"

"One of my many informants gave me this earlier today." She typed into her computer, allowing her to send a picture document to the Batcave's computer and open it up on the screen. "Ignore the writing, that has nothing to do with this, but take a real good look at the image."

The picture, which was now enlarged on the computer screen, was a simple black and white image that looked like it has been taken with a mobile phone camera through a dirty window. Dick could barely make out three figures in the distance; half covered in shadows, they were nothing more than blurry outlines. But what held his attention was the slumped figure in the foreground of the picture. He was definitely male, with broad shoulders covered by a rough leather jacket and a large helmet hiding his head.

"That's Jason!" Dick exclaimed. Suddenly the dread that he had been feeling for the past few days didn't seem so prominent anymore. "Do you know where this was taken?"

"If my informant was telling the truth, then he's in the warehouse district just outside of Gotham. Should be the furthest warehouse from the Gotham boundary."

"Babs, you're brilliant!" Dick pulled the cowl over his eyes and ran to the Batmobile.

"Aren't you going to take Robin?" Oracle asked, her voice hinted with concern.

Dick sighed and rubbed a hand across his chin. "I shouted at Tim and Damian pretty bad a couple of days ago. Robin's been patrolling with Red Robin ever since."

"I'll contact them for you and explain what's happening."

"But…" Dick began.

"No buts. I can't get a security feed for the warehouse district so you'll be going in blind. You might need back up when you get there."

"Fine." Dick jumped over the railings and landed perfectly in the Batmobile's driving seat. "I'll contact you when I arrive."

As fast as he could without crashing into the cave wall, Dick revved the engine and sped out of the Batcave praying that he wasn't too late to save his little brother.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

The ride to the edge of Gotham had been quick. For once, traffic had been almost non-existent and there had been no accidents to prevent the Batmobile from taking the direct route. The Batmobile roared to a stop outside the warehouse district and Batman instantly took to the shadows. With the night only just begun, he would have plenty of cover to get inside and get Jason out without attracting any unwanted attention. But that would only be if luck stayed on his side and the goons who had his brother were taken down easily.

The last warehouse from the Gotham boarder loomed high above him as he completed two laps of the exterior. No sound of light came from inside, but the infrared vision built into his modified cowl showed only one heat signature. Dick sighed in relief. It must be Jason, and if his heat signature showed up then it meant he was still alive. Batman ran to the side door and used a vial of acid from his utility belt to melt the lock silently. The door swung open with a low moan. Once inside, he scanned the interior. The cowl's senses picked nothing up and the infrared vision showed no other people present. The goons had just left Jason to die.

On the far side of the warehouse, tied to a chair by his hands, legs and waist, sat Jason. He had been gagged with a dirty strip of cloth and his clothes were torn so badly that Dick hardly recognised them as Jason's. Blood, sweat and dirt covered his body and his hair was plastered to his forehead. At the sound of Dick's footsteps, his whole body tensed. He lifted his head half an inch and stared at Batman with dull eyes.

Dick knelt in front of him and removed the gag, stroking his hand down the side of Jason's face.

"Dick?" Jason croaked.

"Hey, little brother." Dick didn't know what else to say. He always had a witty remark to everything – it was a side effect of growing up in the circus – but seeing his brother look to weak, so helpless, it made every comment he could think of catch in his throat.

Taking a pocket knife from his boot, Dick sliced through the bindings, wincing in sympathy as dried blood mixed with fresh where the rope had cut into Jason's skin. Without the support, Jason slumped forward. Dick caught him and gingerly lowered him to the floor. Now that the bindings were gone, Dick reached into his utility belt and pulled out a small orb. He shook it hard and the entire warehouse was lit up in a soft, orange glow. It gave more than enough light for Dick to tend to Jason's wounds. With the same pocket knife, Dick cut away the remaining fabric of what used to be Jason's uniform and began to scan his brother's body.

Numerous welts and bloody cuts covered his shoulders; the rest of his back having been saved from the same treatment by the back of the chair he was tied to. Red tears trickled from the cuts, dropping to the concrete floor with soundless splashes. There appeared to be no signs of infection, but with the dusty state that the warehouse was in that could easily change before help arrived. Dick searched through his utility belt, pulling out a small cloth and bottle of disinfectant. He soaked the cloth and, while restraining Jason as best he could, began to clean his shoulder wounds. He bit his lip, trying hard to ignore the whimpers of protest as the antiseptic burned his back.

"It's okay, Jay." Dick reassured him once he had finished.

Jason's entire abdomen was decorated in black or blue. The best Jason could do was pray that there was no serious internal bleeding and move on to the rest of his injuries. Jason's trousers had been reduced to strips of material, and underneath them was bloody, shredded skin where Jason's captures had had their sick fun. Dick removed the material as gently as possible, but the blood had begun to dry over the cuts and he was forced to rip the material away from the skin. Jason sucked in a painful breath, blinking away tears. Each time Dick pulled at a piece of trouser, it felt as if someone was skinning him alive. When Dick was finally done, he pulled more cloth from his utility belt, soaking them in antiseptic, and wrapped them around each of Jason's legs until he had no more cloth left.

"You doing okay?" Dick asked as he began to move back up Jason's body.

"Hurts." Jason mumbled.

"I know, but you're going to be fine." Dick placed a gloved hand against Jason's cheek, frowning at the amount of dried blood and dirt that caked the left side of his head. Inspecting it more closely, Dick could see a jagged split in the hair line where he had been hit with some sort of blunt instrument. He hoped that it was nothing more than a flesh wound, and that his skull hadn't been damaged. He forced Jason's eyes open and took note of the difference in pupil size. "Jason, you still with me?"

Jason blinked, looking up at Dick with drowsy eyes. "Mmmmn."

"Not a good enough answer, Jay."

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Good. Jason, listen to me. You've got a concussion, okay? So you have to stay awake as long as possible. You think you can do that?"

Jason stared at him, blinking occasionally. "Sure."

Dick nodded and began to get his priorities straight. Jason's wounds needed immediate medical attention. But he was already in a serious amount of pain, even if he didn't show it, and Dick couldn't risk giving him any pain killers with his concussion. But moving him would increase his pain and it didn't matter how much Jason bragged about his high pain threshold, there was no way he would make it to the Batmobile and then to the Batcave without going into shock or slipping into a coma. Dick only had one choice, and although he hated to make it, it meant saving his brother's life. "Jason, I'm going to phone Oracle, okay? We're going to get an ambulance here and you're going to go to the hospital."

"Secret…" Jason trailed off. His head lolled to the side as he tried to catch his breath. There had obviously been some damage to his chest that Dick had overlooked.

"Don't worry about secret ID. This is the safest way to save your life. I won't lose you again, little brother." Dick rested his hand over Jason's limp one and pressed his com-link. "Oracle?"

"I'm here, Boy Wonder. Did you find him?"

"Yeah, and he's in a bad way. I can't get him to the Batcave, so I need you to send an ambulance to my location."

"Is it really that bad?"

Dick looked down at Jason, who was struggling to keep his eyes open. "Yeah, it's bad."

"Right, I'll phone for an ambulance and then phone Leslie and tell her to get to Gotham General. I know what Jason's like with unfamiliar doctors. Then I'll contact Tim and Damian and explain what's going on. They didn't seem to care much when I contacted them last, but they'll probably want to know now. Just keep him alive, Dick."

"Thanks, Babs. Batman out."

As the night progressed, the air became cooler and a cold wind blasted through the warehouse. Jason shivered, wincing as his slight movement jostled his injuries. Dick took off his cape and draped it over Jason, careful to avoid nudging his wounds. The cape's fabric was fully insulated and would keep him warm until the ambulance arrived. "Jay, what happened to you?"

"Dunno…all a blur."

"Jason…"

"Got me think' though."

Dick reached out and stroked Jason's sweat soaked hair from his eyes. He spoke to Jason clearly and softly, as if it was any other night and they were just chatting on a Gotham rooftop. "Thinking about what?"

"Who will remember me?"

Dick faltered. "What?"

"Who will remember me, after I die?"

"Lot's of people will." Dick replied as if it was blindingly obvious.

"Like who? No one…(cough cough)…remembered me last time."

Dick sighed. "Not many people knew you back then, Jay. I never did. But this time around you've made a big impact on a lot of people's lives. None of them will forget you."

"When…" Jason was cut off by a sharp coughing fit that had his whole body in spasm. Dick tried to hold him still, but it seemed like even the slightest bit of movement sent screaming protest through his body. Two minutes passed before Jason finally calmed down and managed to breathe again. Dick wiped away the specks of blood that covered Jason's lips with the back of his hand, noting the definite signs of internal injuries that he couldn't see.

"Jason, don't talk so much. You're going to make yourself worse." But Dick's plea went unheard as Jason continued.

"When I die…(cough)…I don't…I don't want people to remember me for…(cough cough)…for all the bad things I've done." Dick pulled down his cowl and wiped away the tears that he couldn't hold back. It was killing him inside to see his little brother like this. Jason was usually so strong, always mocking them for not being tough enough or brave enough. "I want some reason…(cough)…some reason to be missed, Dick."

Dick paused at the sound of Jason calling him by his real name. He only ever heard it from Jason's mouth if it was spat out as a harsh insult. "You already have so many reasons to be missed, Jay." He smiled at his younger brother, not sure whether those blue-grey eyes were focused on him or not. The unexpected sound of Oracle's voice in his ear made him jump.

"The ambulance is on it's way and Leslie is already at the hospital waiting for your arrival. She said to use the false name that's already in the system; Peter Jones."

"Thanks, Oracle. Have you contacted Robin and Red Robin?"

"No, I'll do that now. Oracle out."

Dick sighed in relief. "See. Jay? The ambulance will be here soon. You're going to be alright."


End file.
